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Donald Arthur FiltzerUniversity of East London (London E16 2RD United Kingdom)

Soviet Labor and World War II

From Stalin to Gorbachev, tensions on the shop floor, although rarely assuming a political expression, played a major role in undermining the stability of the Soviet economy. World War II proved an exception to this pattern. Factory discipline was harsh; living and working conditions were perilous. Urban sanitation systems collapsed under the strain of incoming evacuees. Diet was below subsistence levels, and mortality increased dramatically. Yet despite these privations, Soviet industry managed to produce sufficient weapons to equip its army and defeat Nazi Germany. The project seeks to explain this outcome through a detailed comparison of home front industrial regions.